Shelf-support.



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l N VEN TOI? .mnJIwe/Z 52:,

w/r/vEssEs v l -Byhbwffgo l TRNEYS JOHN MCDowELL7 sa.,

OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SHELF-SUPPORT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 9, 1907.

Application filed February 25, 1907. Serial No. 359.077.

To all whom it may concern: l

Be it known that I, JOHN MCDOWELL, Sr., a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Shelf-Support, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact'description.

This invention relates to certainimprovements in shelf supports, and more particularly to means adapted to be readily secured to any bookcase or cabinet and provide a firm support for the shelf, said support `being capable of adjustment to hold the shelf at any suitable elevation.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification,` in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures, and in which Figure l is a perspective view of a portion of a bookcase or other similar structure provided with'my improved shelf support; Fig. 2 is a horizontal section through such a bookcase; Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the specific support and the part co-operating therewith; and Fig. 4 is a horizontal section, said section being taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

My improved support is adapted for use in connection with any suitable inclosure for supporting'a shelf therein, and may be readily secured or detached therefrom. For properly securing the shelf, I preferably provide four of these supports located adjacent the four corners of the shelf, and each of said supports being similar to that illustrated in detail in Figs. 3 and 4. The main portion of the support comprises a vertical strip, preferably of sheet metal, and bent to a form substantially Z-shape in cross section; the parallel portions 10 and 11 of said strip being connected by a portion l2 lying substantially at right angles to the other two'portions. One of the two parallel portions 10 of the strip is provided with perforations, whereby it may be securely fastened to the inner wall 13 of the bookcase, cabinet, or otheri` structure in connection with which the shelf support is to be employed, and the other, ll, of the two parallel portions is adapted to be supported adjacent said wall but spaced a short olistance therefrom. This portion 1l is provided with a plurality of slots or openings 14, each of said slots being preferably rectangular in cross section and having a lug or projection l5 extending upward from the lower edge of the slot and adjacent the free edge of the portion ll of the strip, said lugs or projections adapted to partially close the entrance opening to said slots. A

In connection with the strip above described, I provide a plurality of substantially T-shaped members 16, each formed of metal and adapted for insertion within the slots 14. Each of these members may be formed either from cast metal or by bending them from sheet metal as indicated in the drawings. The cross portion 17 of the T is of a thickness slightly less than the distance between the portion 11 of the strip and the end wall of the structure, and the leg portion 18 of the T is of a thickness slightly less than the width of the entrance opening to the slot and of a width slightly less than the depth of the slot behindrthe lug or projection 1'5, whereby the T may be placed with the cross member 17 in contact with the wall 13, and bymoving the T laterally, it may be caused to enter the slot to the inner end thereof, and then by lowering the T, it becomes firmly held against accidental displacement. The leg portion 18 of the T may be of any suitable length, but preferably extends out a sufficient distance to properly support the shelf I9. For preventing the lateral movement of the shelf in respect to the supf port, I may, if desired, provide the T members adapted for use adjacent one edge of the slot with`sharp upwardly-projecting points 20, whereby these points may be forced into the lower surface of the shelf by the weight placed upon the latter and thus offer a material resistance to the sliding of the shelf. If the two T members used adjacent the front edge of the shelf are provided with these points, it may be entirely unnecessary to so equip the T members used adjacent the rear edge of the shelf.

As the use of my improved shelf support involves no change in the structure of the shelf, or the bookcase, cabinet, or the like in connection with which said shelf is to be employed, I may readily secure the same to any bookcase or cabinet in place of the shelf supports now employed. Neither the bookcase or the shelf is marred in any way by the application of the support, and, therefore, said support may be removed at any time without having caused any disfigurement. As all of the weight carried by the shelf support is in a longitudinal direction from the strips, and as the lower ends of these may, if desired, rest'against the bottom of the structure, the provision of only a single screw adjacent the top of the strip may be found amply suflicient to prevent displacement of the support.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1.A A shelf support, comprising a strip of metal substantially Z-shape in cross section, one of the two parallel portions of said strip being adapted to be secured to the Wall of a case, and the other of said parallel portions adapted to be supported adjacent and parallel to said wall, said last mentioned portion being provided with slots extending inward from its free edge, and a detachable member having two portins at right angles to each other and adapted :for lateral insertion into one of said slots and to be held with one of saidportions lying between said strip and the wall of the case and the other of said portions extendingoutward through said slot and serving to support a shelf.

2. A shelf support, comprising a strip of sheet metal substantially Z-shape in cross section, one of the two parallel T-shaped members having upwardly extending projections l portions of said strip being adapted to be securedv to the adapted for engagement with the under side of the shell Wall of a case or cabinet and the other of said parallel for preventing lateral displacement.

portions adapted to be supported closely adjacent and par- In testimony whereof Il have signed my name to this allel to said Wall, said last mentioned portion being prospecification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses. vided with slots extending inwardly from its free edge, v JOHN MCDOWELL, SR. 'the outer ends of said slots being restricted, and a plurality Witnesses of substantially T-shaped members adapted for insertion JNO. M. RITTER,

Within said slots for supporting a shelf, certain of said CLAIR W. FAIRBANK. 

